Mountain Momma

I was caught flat-footed last year when my oldest daughter began questioning the myriad Santa spottings of the Christmas season.

Santa’s peripatetic ways just didn’t compute.

Santa came to her preschool, brought up the rear in all the parades we saw, headlined the special night-time shopping events downtown, and was even spotted strolling Main Street on Saturday afternoons in December, adding to the festive holiday spirit courtesy of our downtown marketing association.

“Is that really Santa? How did he get here? Shouldn’t he be back at the North Pole getting ready?”

I told her the elves did most of the prep work. And that Santa has a special helicopter that complemented his reindeer team.

But the real humdinger — how could Santa justify so many forays to our little corner of the mountains given the inordinate demand for similar engagements worldwide this time of year — had me floundering. And ... I’m still floundering. Ideas, fellow-parents?

The good news is kids have ample shots at Santa facetime in case they get stage fright the first, second or even third take.

• Cookies with Santa from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 30, at Town Hall in downtown Franklin. Kids who write Santa a letter there will get a personal response back by mail.

• Santa’s Gift Shop craft show on Friday and Saturday, Nov. 29-30, in Franklin will star both Santa and Mrs. Claus. Santa Claus will be played by Joe Moore, children’s author of Believe Again, The North Pole Chronicles.

Held at the Macon County Community Facilities Building from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday. www.mvcraftshows.com

• Santa will be along Main Street in downtown Waynesville during the Art After Dark stroll from 6 to 9 p.m. Friday, Dec. 6, and from 10 a.m. to noon and 5 to 7 p.m. during the “Holly Days” downtown shopping event on Saturday, Dec. 7.

• Breakfast with Santa will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at the Waynesville First Presbyterian Church, with a hot breakfast, Christmas carols and a Christmas boutique.

• Breakfast with Santa will be held from 8 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 7, at First United Methodist Church in Waynesville. Pancakes, plus vision and hearing screenings.

• Dillsboro Luminary Festival held from 5 to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6-7 and 13-14, in downtown Dillsboro. Along with Santa, luminary-lined streets, buggy rides and holiday shopping, there’s iceless “ice skating” on Dec. 6 and fireworks on Dec. 14. (The fireworks are left over from July Fourth, when heavy rained canceled the display.)

• A Night Before Christmas held in downtown Waynesville from 6 to 9 p.m. Saturday, Dec 14, will star Santa on the sidewalk taking present requests and posing for photos amid live music, caroling, wagon rides, story telling, poetry, luminaries.

• Breakfast with Santa will be at the Canton Armory from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Dec. 14. Proceeds go to Share The Warmth. $5 for adults, $3 for youth, free for kids under 4.

Check the calendar at the back of the paper for Christmas parades, live nativity scenes, holiday concerts, etc. in coming weeks.